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Mothers who have been traumatized have a tough time talking to their children about deep, emotional issues, research from the University of Notre Dame shows.

Mothers who experienced abuse, neglect or trauma in their own childhoods suffer from “traumatic avoidance symptoms,” according to a study presented at the Society for Research in Child Development 2013 Biennial Meeting in Seattle.

They are unwilling to address thoughts, emotions, sensations or memories associated with those traumas. And that, in turn, interferes with their ability to talk to their own sons or daughters about the children’s emotions. These mothers are more apt to have shorter, less in-depth conversations, involving closed-ended questions that do not encourage child participation.

“Traumatic avoidance symptoms have been shown to have a negative impact on the cognitive and emotional development of children,” said psychology professor Kristen Valentino.

Blame cravings on the circadian system

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Late-night food cravings are triggered by the body’s internal clock, the circadian system, concludes a new study in the journal Obesity.

Circadian rhythms are behind the desire to eat sweet, salty and starchy foods before hitting the hay, according to researchers at the Oregon Health and Science University, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

Their study found that people are most hungry at 8 p.m. and least hungry at 8 a.m. Eating a lot in the evening can predispose people to weight gain because people are don’t expend as much energy after an evening meal compared to after a morning meal.

“It seems likely that this internal circadian system helps with efficient food storage. While this may have been valuable throughout evolution, nowadays it is likely to contribute to the national epidemic of obesity,” said lead author Steven Shea.

“If weight lost is a goal, it’s probably better to eat your larger, higher calorie meals earlier in the day. Knowing how your body operates will help you make better choices,” he added.

Exercise reduces violence among teen girls

Research presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in Washington, D.C. showed that girls who exercise regularly are less likely to be involved in violence.

Researchers from Columbia University surveyed students at inner-city high schools in New York to assess links between exercise and violence. They found:

<bullet> Females who exercised more than 10 days in the previous month were less likely to be in a gang.

<bullet> Those who did more than 20 sit-ups in the past month were less likely to carry a weapon or be in a gang.

<bullet> Females who reported running more than 20 minutes the last time they ran had decreased odds of carrying a weapon.

Those who participated in team sports in the past year had decreased odds of carrying a weapon, being in a fight or being in a gang.

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